great video. where did you get the 2 type, desktop tape dispenser? is it balanced with a good counter weight? i have been searching without success for a desk top 2" tape dispenser that doesn't need to be clamped to the table top & can truly work one handed that isn't junk. i don't mean good junk, just cheap junk. thanks

MAP – Go to Amazon and search "Officemate Recycled 2-In-1 Heavy Duty Tape Dispenser". They are currently $13, Prime eligible and worth every penny. They come with a plug on the bottom and you can add more weight. I put lead shot in mine and it stays put for one handed use. Great item.

That's the one. They are definitely worth it and make packing easier. I have two locations (house and barn) where I ship from and ended up buying a second one as I always missed it when I packed without it. I don't have much issue with them sliding around. My main issue is occasionally cutting my thumb on the tape cutter. I sprung a leak while filming some packing on Monday for next week's video.

Linda, I personally find sealed tapes sell faster and for more than used tapes, unless the used tapes are a pretty rare variety. But people will still buy used tapes in good condition. I dream of finding a pallet full of sealed tapes that's been locked away in a warehouse for 40 years.

Casette tapes are still being manufactured and are actually increasing in popularity. But there are audiophiles with high-end decks who are looking for certain ones which probably are not being produced and therefore scarce. Earlier this summer, I came across this video on cassettes which gave me a some insight into the different types and composition, and what makes certain tapes more desirable than others.

Steve – I found one of those old Oster massagers also. Mine was in the box still and was very vintage cool looking and worked. I listed mine for a lot higher. The box does make a difference. I think I picked mine up at an estate sale for $5.

The ever popular paint by number–>sold for $30 and found at a thrift store.

for various reasons I haven't been able to get out and find high dollar items, but I am comfortable selling things for around $40-50–here is hoping that sales pick up for those of us doing mostly OOAK items.

The PBN thing is amazing to me. So many talented artists out there making original and amazing creations, and people want this instead. More power to you for selling them, but can't believe they actually sell.

Team cassette tapes! They've been so good to me over the past 6 months since I found out they had value (probably from you, Steven)! Just sold 3 boxes of 10 sealed Maxell XLII for $200 to a guy in the next town over that will be picking them up tonight.

Anyway, some of my interesting/good sales this week:

Vintage RayBan round blue clip on sunglasses:http://www.ebay.com/itm/201662224513Bought these over Labor Day weekend when I was out in Ohio visiting a friend. He took us to a huge flea market that I was loving – Ohio prices vs. NY/NJ prices! Bought these for $1 and sold for $40 within 2 days of listing.

WWII Era Polish Legion flag:http://www.ebay.com/itm/191951413480Got this at a family run estate sale along with other WWII era flags. I knew nothing of it, but based on the age and the quality, plus it being a named region piece, I took a chance. Love the family run sales cause the prices were cheap – bought this for $5, had it listed for $150 and had a dozen offers within a week eventually accepting $100 for it.

1988 The Accused Martha Splatterheads Maddest Stories Ever Told record:http://www.ebay.com/itm/191963132086Another example of the punk/metal record lot I bought 2 weeks ago. This one sold for $35.

Pewter grape vine napkin rings:http://www.ebay.com/itm/191604236696I've had these for nearly 2 years now with no action. Bought 20 of them for like $4 at a flea market thinking they'd go quickly. Broke them up into (4) ring lots for $20 and they got no action. Jumped when I got an offer of $15/set for 3 sets. Tried to get the buyer to take the last 2 sets for $10 each, but she didn't go for it.

It looks like my shipping preference, “Offer carrier-specific discounts to buyers” has been changed without my consent. Of the three options offered, I have seen Fedex eBay discount as the only one enabled by default. I went to print a FEDEX label and the amount I paid with discount was what the buyer paid.

About a month ago, I had posted a comment here about using these discount to see if it would help sales, so I enabled all 3 options. USPS, FEDX and UPS. After a short trial, I turned them all off. Now I see FEDEX is the now enabled. Only changes made to the account within this time is that I went from Basic to Premium.

eCommerce 411, we are having issues with the Fed Ex discount too. We are paying the same or slightly more than the buyer. I need to call ebay but we rarely use Fed Ex (maybe once a month) so I haven't taken the time. We did notice there was an extra fee tacked on that we are paying and not the buyer. If you find more information on the problem, please let me know.

O yeah… those FP Little People are just like Lego Minifigs – command huge numbers. Especially if you can find the wooden ones and make sure all are stamped "East Aurora NY" (wood or plastic). They stopped making them in the USA in 1990.

Steve…Did you get your ebay Final Value Fees refunded on the return? Per eBay customer service, if a buyer sends back an item without opening a case, you have 2 options:1. if going to refund item price + shipping, open a case and a refund buyer button will appear, FVF's will be refunded automatically.2. if going to refund item price only, do the "partial refund" in paypal and call ebay CS to get refunded on the FVF's.

I have a question about a return, Im curious to know how others would handle this situation. A buyer opened a return case stating the leather chaps I sold them were "damaged" I have copied their exact wording in the return"Info from the buyerReasonArrived damaged

CommentsVery worn and altered to where one leg is shorter and bottoms are very uneven. Need money returned. No need for pictures cause they should know what shape these are in. Very unhappy."

In the listing specifics and description I noted the cuffs were altered, I also showed 5 pictures of the cuffs.

I responded to the buyer

"You sent a messageYes, I am happy to accept your return however these chaps were described properly in the listing. There are 5 pictures of the altered cuffs and condition of the cuffs were in both the items specifics and description. I'm sorry you arent happy with them but they were described as such in the listing. Please ship the chaps to 421 xxxx Once I receive the item I will issue a refund according to my listing. Thanks Tina"

My question is should I charge my 20% restocking fee? This is a $180 return and I feel I am within my right to do so however dont want any negative feedback or case opened. I spoken with ebay and the rep confirmed it was buyers remorse but Ive been burned in the past by ebay siding with me and then overturning it for the buyer. What do you guys think? Its $36 in restocking fees…

Stick to your T&C. If it is in your right to charge a restocking fee, then do so. If you're questioning this, then you might want to ask why you're charging a restocking fee to begin with. It's always unfortunate to have a return on a high value item, but you need be clear and unwavering in your T&C.

Having the return titled "item arrived damaged" is simply the buyers subjective perception )if the item arrived exactly as stated in your listing). That being said, if all of the buyers reasoning for claiming "item arrived damage" was indicated in your listing pictures and title/description verbiage, AND your listing return stated a 20% restocking fee, then YES, you have every notion to charge said fee. If you don't include a restocking fee in the return area when creating the listing, then you shouldn't expect one when a return occurred.

Also, again, if your listing pictures and title/description verbiage indicated ALL of the buyers reasons for claiming "item arrived damage", then you should easily have any/all negative feedback removed. Of course this may take more then one call to eBay as many others have experienced.

If you return an item because it's not as described in the listing, arrives damaged, or is missing parts, then your refund is:

Total purchase price plus original shipping equals total refund

In these situations, the seller can't charge a restocking fee and the seller pays the return shipping charges.

All other returns:

If you return an item for any other reason, including changing your mind about a purchase, the seller can keep any restocking fee specified in the listing Return policy.

In these situations, your original shipping charge usually isn't refunded. Check the listing Return policy for specifics on shipping charges. You may also have to pay the return shipping charges.

For this type of return, your refund is usually the total purchase price, including item cost, sales tax, and other charges, less:Original shipping (unless specified otherwise in the listing Return policy)Restocking fee (if specified in the listing Return policy)Return shipping (if specified in the listing Return policy)"

Cottage, You are correct if I "accepted" the return I would have no option to charge a restocking fee. But I havent actually "accepted" the return through the return page. Ebay told me to message the buyer and tell them to print their own return label and upload the tracking, which I did and they agreed to ship it back tomorrow. I can always go into paypal and refund the purchase price minus the restocking and original shipping. As long as the buyer doesnt escalate the case I can have it closed in my favor once I show they were refunded. I charge a restocking fee for 2 reasons: My time is valuable and dont want it wasted & to deter people from returning items simply because its easy. I feel I am in the right for charging this restocking fee but curious how others would handle it for their business.

I bought some kids' bed sheets at an upscale estate sale for $2.50. I never would have given a 2nd thought about bed sheets if not mentioned by some of you guys. They sold for $148 over the weekend! Thanks J & R for making this community available.

Can anyone here help me learn more about these pants from Polo Ralph Lauren? I know you must think what is there to know, they are boring Polo pants, but these are truly unique! Take a look at them. It looks like something a hobo from the movies would wear.http://imgur.com/a/DsgIV

There is nothing on Ebay like these and I can't get any prior history in the last 3 months.

Can you shoot the inside of the pants? The quality of the stitching and the way the patches are applied might help us decide if those are aftermarket alterations. I did find these, which are totally different but at least also RL…

They are "vintage" style. They're probably not that old, i think they sold for almost $200 new. Ralph Lauren used vintage fabric to re-create the distressed look off the shelf. Good score, should sell for a decent price used. Long time reader first time poster. J.B. at ebay id thebourbonboxcarjbf

@fredspremium these are legit ralph lauren/polo chinos. the stitching & applique work is the giveaway. designed & manufactured by ralph lauren. like anonymous above says, "vintage style/replica", but your looking at ~$75-$150. i'm pretty sure these were only avail in the ralph lauren stores or the ralph lauren/polo sections of better department stores in big market/moneyed malls.

We have two female calicos that look like Steve's. They definitely rule here. I think Steve and I have the same taste. Our last dog was a blue merle Sheltie that looks like his. By the way, my husband is named Steve too. Haha

Heading up to an auction in a few… so ,so far outside my comfort zone. I prefer privacy, anonymity, and solitude, with plenty of time to make decisions, and no witnesses. But I've got to give it a try, as I'm in a giant sourcing rut. Wish me luck! Will report back later.

Kate, your preferences for "privacy, anonymity, solitude, plenty of time to make decisions and no witnesses" perfectly describe my preferred work environment as well! I left a 25 year career as a corporate communicator, and the peace I feel each day now is worth every penny of the fancy salary I also left behind. No schedule, no meetings, no conference calls. I now have the freedom to think and create as I see fit. It's the best. Introverts, represent!

So, after some initial confusion and anxiety, it went pretty well. I spent about $60 and picked up several paintings and two tiny box lots (small pottery and vintage purses.) A few things stood out; it was about a 7:1 ratio of men to women, and retirees made up the majority of the buyers and sellers. "Mantiques" were the items causing bidding wars, while plenty of other super-interesting items were simply passed up. (If I could get in the Wayback Machine (or the Tardis (is Mr. Peabody a Time Lord?)) I'd go back to the beginning of the auction and scoop up some neat pieces I missed. Overall, I think it's probably smart to add the auction, about 25 minutes away, to my routine. Holding up my number to bid ended up being relatively painless and far less uncomfortable for this introvert than I expected. Tentative success, to be upgraded to "total success" once I make my $60 back!

Thanks for the summary. I don't have time to go to auctions right now, but it sounds fun. I love it when I'm shopping with a bunch of guys. Mostly records and Mantiques they appear to be after, but one of our regulars scoops up all the art and gets there early. I saw him flipping some at the flea market but nothing good there.

Thanks Steve for making another what sold video to share with us. It's on my watch list for tonight…your stuff looks extra amazing on the big screen HD Tv:)

Sheldon, I watch your video last night…it was fun seeing your amazing house in the background. We live in an old home too…built in the late 1800's. Bought it in the 70's during the first energy crisis when NO ONE wanted an 11 room old drafty house. My mother-in-law about croaked when we bought it (and she was our realtor) and the people at the gas company actually LAUGHED when my husband went down to get on the gas budget! Still here 38 years later…and so very glad we are.

Hi Cheryl. We just bought this place last year and absolutely love it. It's an 1870 greek revival farmhouse and we are only the second family outside the original family to own it. It's called the Pomeroy Homestead and I've found heaps of information and photos in books, online, and at the archives at the local library on the house and the original family that built it. For me, it's like living inside a giant antique. It's a real privilege. I've heard it said that old houses choose their owners, not the other way around. I have also heard that the only thing that works in an old house is…YOU! Both feel true in my case. I may start branching out with my videos and document some of the projects.

Best of luck to you heating this winter. We used to heat our previous house with wood, but we can't really find a good place to install a wood stove in this house. Last winter was mild in MA, but we still managed to go through 2.5 tanks of oil.

I would love to see you do videos on the house, it sounds amazing and you are fortunate to find so much information on it. The hardest part of owning an old home is keeping it's integrity and still bring it up to today's standard of living. I'm sure we've done a few re-muddling projects that the next owners will cringe over, but we have tried to make sure what ever we did was un-doable for a purist.

We updated our heating system about 20 years ago, added a wood burner, put in duct work, added a pulse furnace and central air. We heated mostly with wood until we could afford the duct work. But, as we get older, we love the convenience of a furnace. When guests came to our house before the updates, they KNEW to bundle up and wear layers!

Congratulations on the cassette tape sales. I was A Grateful Dead Taper in the early 80's i use to record the shows, had about 2000 Maxell Xl ii and TDK SA 90's with music of the Dead masters of Stevie Ray Vaughn and others, in the process of moving from California to Texas I literally trashed my whole collection figuring this is the age of digital OUCH! I kick myself now but whats done is done

Has anyone consigned before through an auction house for sports memorabilia? I am not going to sell some of the things I found on my own. I'm just not going to know how to determine the value. I'm going to do some research, but I just though I would ask to see if anyone has any recommendations.

Been doing a lot of research today on Ebay for my unlisted stuff. It's been VERY glitchy. I haven't been getting the same search results each time or it would keep returning zero results (for different items)when I would go to check completed listings. Also keep getting a screen that I have to enter verification #'s. Several times a day for the past 3 days. Then buyer's asking questions on items that have already ended. Anyone else noticing this?

Jen I've been having to enter verification numbers on and off for about a week. I'm also having problem with shipping off and on where I get overcharged. I ship from paypal when that happens. I called ebay about it and they sent the problem to the technical team. I'm surprised no one else is having any issues with that.

Having the problem on my phone and on the desktop computer. Very, very annoying. On the phone, trying to run a completed items search makes the app shut down. On the desktop, I just get zero results (oddly, "sold items" searches yield results.) Some links (like "See Seller's Other Items" don't do anything. Will be pleased when the kinks are worked out.

Jay- Very good point =Hi Nancy & Kate! Having all of those issues too. Yes, very frustrating. I put in those verification codes no less than 6 times yesterday while listing. Like Kate, my app kept shutting down as well. Not a great time since I had just got home with a fantastic estate haul. Cute story: The lady is apparently like 96 years old and decided she was ready to go to assisted living. She only took a few things with her and let the rest go. The house is FULL of stuff including the basement, attic, garage. I dug through the garage for 3 hours yesterday and came home with 2 boxes full of vintage perfume/cologne! She saved EVERYTHING but all was stored perfectly. They said that after her husband passed she went to auctions and garage sales to buy things to have her own garage sales to keep busy =) An old school fellow reseller!!=)

September has been so slow! Instead of my usual 3-10 orders a day, I've been getting 1-5 orders a day this past week. All bread & butta. Not complaining, though. August was busy. At least this is giving me a lot of time to list for Christmas!

Hi everyone, more bad news from over here. I was trying to help my dad with his car situation and lent him mine. Unfortunately he drove off with my phone on top of the car and neither of us realized it. Also, the phone was near death so I couldn't use the find my iphone app. It's what I used for ebay so that's why it's so sad.

Anyway, this happens to me every couple of years, I'll just have to get a new one. I'm thinking a 5S from Straight Talk.

No sales lately, I've been trying to build up listings after my vacation, but that'll have to wait until I get the new phone. Garage sales are still not up to par with what they used to be before the flooding (Baton Rouge area flooding in August if you aren't aware.) I found all of one last weekend, lol. And the other one was canceled. I did find a pair of Born shoes which I keep hearing about. Anyway, hope sales pick up with what I do have. And hopefully I can stop losing stuff, haha!

With the iPhone 7 coming out this week, there will be plenty of deals on older generations like the 5/5s/6 (6s will likely still be expensive). My advice would be to monitor auctions and maybe you can snipe one for a good deal once the 7s start shipping.

Also, my area (S.Florida) is a busy metropolitan area. Garage sales and Goodwills here have become to aggressive, making a generalization.It seems pickers and scavengers are flooding the streets and in a bad competition mood everywhere.I not like stereotypes, so in generic terms, there is a specific group, if not personally aggressive like some, they are like ants on sugar. The thing is the sellers have become too defensive too.

Ok, buyer is also a reseller (who buys on their seller account) and I think we had our item somewhat underpriced. We raised the price significantly. We'll see what happens. I still don't understand their math…

Sometimes you get an eBay Bucks bonus for items over $x. For example, you might only get 2% eBB on at $10 item, but maybe you get 10% eBB on a $50 item (or I've even seen it up to 20% for $200+). Maybe it makes sense for them if the eBB pay for the difference? Or they're just trying to launder money. Either way, who cares as long as the pay you!

Lee/Linda/Brian — They had plenty of similar items up for sale–buying and selling on the same account. All I had to do was take a quick look to figure they were probably trying to buy and flip my item and in the process bump it up in price to cash in on a higher amount of eBay bucks. Looking back on their message they did ask if I could raise the price "a few dollars". I doubled it! Lost the sale, but I think it's priced appropriately now…

Regarding the "Best Offer" comments on the previous thread: eBay Radio interviewed an eBay employee this week (sorry,his name escapes me). He commented that all offers made on an item boost the item in search because it increases its "likelihood to sell" in their algorithm. Hopefully this knowledge will take some of the sting out of those lowball offers we all receive from time to time.

i looked up that part of the podcast, but it really doesn't move the needle for me personally. if it came from an engineer whose involved in search, i might take it more seriously. for those who want to save themselves the brain damage of ebay radio, he said that listings which have best offer enabled & the listing has already received best offers, that listing "sends a signal" which may improve its search rank. he doesn't sound like he has a technical background & doesn't bring up how much relative weight is assigned. anyway, ymmv with best offer obviously. like i said in other thread, for me its highest use is to screen buyers in particular categories.

Jeanette, Thanks for the info, it's nice to know that even the lowest low ball offer benefits me, even if only in a very small way. I went ahead and listened to the full interview with Hal Lawton, and I'll just add that he also mentioned a few other things: Free shipping supplies for Q4 will include Holiday designs and, new to the line-up, tissue paper. For Q4, ebay will be doing a lot of marketing, including TV ads on both cable and network TV. And lastly, there will be some new "products" coming out as the holidays approach ("products" in ebay-speak usually means "new tools" of some sort, such as "collections" and "coupons" etc….he gave no hint as to what these might be, but I can certainly think of some things I'd like to see…

Interesting, thx. I've always been interested in Asia antiques (I was born in Japan), seeing them a lot on Antiques Roadshow. But I'm totally intimidated by how many fakes there are and how easy it is to pass them on.

Buyers can be such asses. I got a 4 dollar offer on a 20 dollar item. I declined. Then then offered 4.06. I declined. Then just to be an ass they offered 3.99. They went down in price. And on a Jesus related item lol.

I've got another mystery item I'm trying to ID, specifically the use of the figures. I think I've seen this before in an advertisement, in a book, on a logo, etc. It's a very good casting of three figures that represent three areas of American industry. Found this in the office of a scrapyard of all places and the guy was willing to sell. Wife hates it, I think it's wicked cool. Three picture in this imgur album and any help is appreciated. http://imgur.com/a/VGrJy

MAP – That's a good suggestion, putting folks back to work kind of symbolism. Thanks.

Linda – Ha! Maybe I can market it as a Marxist propaganda piece sculpted by Che Guevara.

Kate – All are wearing shoes. Each is wearing appropriate shoes for who they represent; blue collar worker in work clothes holding a hammer, business man with briefcase/satchel, scientist/lab guy wearing lab coat holding a beaker.

It's made of brass and weighs a hefty 17 lbs. Faces are quite worn and have seen better days, maybe call them zombie time travelers.

@comrade lindathanks for pointing that out.i never put together how similar the early century propaganda/art from FDR new deal social programs like WPA is to socialist & communist propagande. i really like some of the large stone reliefs & murals you might see in a midwest state capitol or other large public works project from the 30s & now that i think of it, they are very similar to some i saw in Europe & elsewhere.

@ Apex, yes I got familiar with the communist/socialist art when listing some things from a friend who is an eighty-something year old hippie. They all have a similar look. Modernistic-robotic-utopian-mind-control propaganda appearance.

Contacted by a buyer this morning asking for our address, phone and email. He says his item was lost by USPS. Tracking shows as delivered, but he's filing a claim. I thought the seller had to file the claim??

The buyer OR the seller can file an USPS insurance claim. If the tracking shows the package was delivered, then all that can be done is open a claim and have the USPS investigate the whereabouts. Some may wonder how can the USPS figure it out. The USPS doesn't film or take pictures of the delivery. Well, during the entire tracking scan process the USPS machines will take a picture and weigh the item automatically. This can safe guard against claiming an empty package. Also, the carrier will sometime add notes that are not visible to us when looking at the tracking.

If the package shows delivered, then eBay will back you and there is no need to refund or worry about negative feedback (it will be removed).

NEVER give personal information out. The buyer is ONLY entitled to what is on eBay and on the packing slip.

Perhaps the buyer is not phishing for information. I recently had a buyer want to contact me outside of eBay by leaving his/her phone number asking for me to text/call him/her. When I replied that all communications will ONLY go through eBay per Ebay policies, he/she asked for my email. Again, I replied with the same message. Could this Phone number have been a burner number to use only to get my number? Was it good intentions or mischief? Not sure and I don't lose sleep over it…..Only use Ebay as means of communication.

Question for Etsy seller's. I have a huge collection of vintage Coach and Dooney that I intended to list on Ebay at some point. With all of the Vero talk I am re-thinking that. I have never had any issues in 14 years with Vero for anything vintage. Wondering if Vero is Ebay specific or do they also remove from Etsy or other sites as well? I have noticed listings even for "designer inspired" (Fake!) items. Just curious if this is across the board or if I could open an Etsy shop to sell my ever growing collection of things that I'm a bit nervous to list on Ebay?Any insight is much appreciated. Thank you!

GOOD QUESTION! I have a Dooney purse that I bought years ago and am afraid to list it … if I can find the original receipt, should I include a photo of it in the listing? What if I can't find the receipt? Not sure how to keep the VERO gods off my back even when it's legit.

Thank you Omfug X! Beverly- I feel your pain! I have just collected them over the course of years from thrifts/estates. No receipts. So weird to hear the Vero thing come up. Back in the day they used to pull items left and right. I haven't had any issues in years. I actually thought they had cooled off. Now I'm nervous to list any designer items. In my experience, it doesn't seem like vintage items bring the same heat. Not sure I would take the chance though. What the heck am I gonna do with all these bags?!!

I sold a baseball cap to someone in Australia through GSP. They just messaged me to ask me to send it to a different address in Australia because they had just moved and forgot to update their info with Ebay before ordering. I think this situation has been talked about on the podcast before but I can't remember the best way to handle it. Is there any way I can change it or will that kick it out of GSP? Or should I just cancel the sale and have them update their info and repurchase? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

it is the buyer's responsibility to have their address correct with ebay. so they need to change their address in ebay and paypal and also call ebay to ensure the the package gets shipped to them via Kentucky.

Ryanne's correct for GSP, you are not shipping the item to it's final destination, eBay is. So it is the buyers responsibility to correct their address. If it was a domestic ship, since the msg are through ebay, sellers are protected if the item doesn't arrive or there is a problem with the delivery.

Love the interviews! Would like to see more, this was great. Have yet come across any postcards

September is doing good, selling a lot of items under $20 lately. working through Death piles reaching 400 items in my store and now need to seriously track inventory.

a question for the group. I am getting to the point where I need to track inventory. Anyone have a program they use to track what they bought. I could use an excel spreadsheet, but I am a heavy phone user and do most of my work on the go and was wondering if there are any apps or mobile friendly websites?